Shrewsbury Town (A) match preview

Rovers are on the road once more this week when they travel to face Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday in Sky Bet League One.

Rovers will be looking to get back to winning ways following Saturday’s 1-1 draw against local rivals Scunthorpe United, with Mallik Wilks opening the scoring in the derby.

Shrewsbury on the other hand will be looking to make it a second win in a week after their 2-1 win away at Peterborough United, with Oliver Norburn and Tyrese Campbell earning them three points.

Brief history of Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury play at the 9,785-capacity Montgomery Waters Meadow, which has been their home since 2007 following their move from Gay Meadow.

Whilst more commonly known as the Shrews, one of the club’s other nicknames is Salop, which you may hear chanted during the game. This comes from a Latin term that is written on the Shropshire county banner, which translates to ‘Let Salop Flourish’, Salop being the old name of the county.

The Shrews are in their fourth season in League One, following their promotion from the fourth tier in 2015, finishing as runners-up in League Two. Last season saw them record their best finish since returning to the division, finishing third and going on to defeat Charlton Athletic 2-0 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final.

They were defeated in the play-off final back in May, losing out 2-1 to Rotherham United after extra time.

Who’s the gaffer?

Sam Ricketts is the man in charge of the Shrews, taking the job back in December following John Askey’s departure. A former Welsh international defender, Ricketts previously was in charge of National League side Wrexham, guiding them into the play-off picture before he arrived in Shropshire.

Since taking charge of the Shrews, Ricketts has overseen 19 games, winning four, drawing nine and losing 6, leaving him with a win percentage of 21.1 per cent.

Ones to watch

Luke Waterfall

The centre-back joined the Shrews in August, making the step up from League Two after departing Lincoln City. Last season saw Waterfall help guide the Imps to Checkatrade Trophy success, captaining them to their first ever win at Wembley. Waterfall made 41 appearances in League Two last year as Lincoln finished 7th, with the defender also scoring three times. Waterfall quickly cemented his place in the Shrews defence, and he has also chipped in at the other end, scoring five times in all competitions.

Anthony Grant

The midfielder was another one of the Shrews summer signings, joining following his departure from Peterborough United. Grant started in the youth team at Chelsea, before moving to Southend United in 2008, making over 150 appearances for the Shrimpers. After spells with Stevenage, Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale, Grant signed for Peterborough in January 2017, making 49 league appearances for the Posh, with the majority of those coming under the leadership of Rovers manager Grant McCann.

Tyrese Campbell

The 19-year-old joined the Shrews on loan last month from Championship side Stoke City. Campbell scored both goals in Stoke’s 3-2 defeat at home to the Shrews an FA Cup replay, before going on to join up with Sam Ricketts’s side just a few days later. Campbell has kicked off his Shrews career with a bang, scoring twice in his first three games.

Rovers and the Shrews played out a goalless draw when the two sides met at the Keepmoat Stadium back in late August.

Rovers last win at New Meadow came back in 2015, with James Coppinger putting Rovers ahead before Nat Knight-Percival brought the Shrews back level. Keshi Anderson scored four minutes from time to seal three points in League One for Rovers.

Tickets for Rovers’ next Sky Bet League One home clash against play-off rivals Charlton Athletic on Saturday March 2 are still available via the Club Doncaster Box Office. Purchase yours now by either visiting in-store at the Keepmoat Stadium, by calling on 01302 762576, or online at tickets.clubdoncaster.co.uk.